General Engineer - Direct Hire - SME

Department of Transportation; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Transportation’s PHMSA, Office of Pipeline Safety, seeks a General Engineer (Accident Investigator) to lead investigations of pipeline incidents, assess failure causes, and coordinate with federal/state agencies and industry to share lessons learned for safer pipelines.

The ideal candidate will conduct comprehensive investigations, manage evidence and reports, and provide timely, factual updates on significant accidents.

Qualifications

• Experience in engineering design, construction, operation, integrity management, and failure analysis of pipelines.
• Experience conducting investigations to improve transportation safety.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Conducts and oversees investigations of pipeline-related failures and safety incidents.
• Coordinates with federal/state agencies, industry, and the public to share lessons learned.
• Produces thorough and timely investigation reports with findings and recommendations.

Skills

Incident Management

Technical Problem Solving

Accident Investigation

Education

Engineering degree (ABET accredited)

Job description

Summary

This position is within PHMSA’s Office of Pipeline Safety. PHMSA protects people and the environment from risks related to hazardous materials transportation by pipeline. The Accident Investigation Division (AID) leads investigations of pipeline, underground natural gas storage, and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) events, the identification of accident trends and the sharing of lessons learned to enhance pipeline safety.

Learn more about this agency

This job is open to

• The public
• U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
• Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled using Direct Hire Authority; traditional rating and ranking, Veterans' Preference, and the 'Rule of Many' do not apply. Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. Due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration.

Duties

As a General Engineer (Accident Investigator), you will:

• Accident and Incident Investigations - Conducts and oversees the investigation of pipeline related failure and safety investigations. May serve as a Primary Operations Supervisor (OPS) Investigator on Federally regulated pipeline failure investigations. Serves as the Federal OPS Coordinator on state regulated pipeline failure investigations.
• Failure Analysis and Sharing Lessons Learned - Ensures OPS collects the data, technical reports and information needed to conduct thorough and comprehensive failure analysis.
• Continually monitors the national pipeline infrastructure for incidents and accidents. Gathers information on serious and significant accidents and incidents involving pipelines, providing factual, accurate and timely information.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Engineer who is looking for challenging assignments investigating pipeline incidents and accidents. As an Accident Investigator, you will conduct, coordinate, manage and report comprehensive investigations of critical and nationally significant pipeline accidents and safety concerns. This position will coordinate with other federal and state agencies, industry, and the public regarding investigations, accident trends and lessons learned from investigations.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Tentatively selected candidates are required to undergo urinalysis in accordance with DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace", which includes testing for marijuana. Marijuana is legal in some states, however it’s still illegal at the federal level. Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.
• Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

GS-12

To qualify for the GS-12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11, it must include:

• Experience in engineering disciplines concerning the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair, integrity management, and failure analysis of gas and liquid pipelines.
• Experience in conducting and/or participating in investigations or projects to improve transportation safety.

GS-13

To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience in engineering disciplines concerning the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair, integrity management, and failure analysis of gas and liquid pipelines.
• Experience in conducting and/or participating in investigations or projects to improve transportation safety.
• Experience in risk management, pipeline integrity management, and management systems principles and practices as they relate to protection of physical facilities and structures with critical environmental and safety impact.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

• Incident Management: Knowledge of the tactics, technologies, principles, and processes to protect, analyze, prioritize, and handle incidents.
• Technical Problem Solving: Troubleshoots, diagnoses, analyzes, and identifies system malfunctions to determine the source and cause of the problem.
• Accident Investigation: Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

A. DEGREE

ENGINEERING --To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive). All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

This is a remote position, and the selectee’s official duty station will be their approved residential address.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Required Documents

RESUME:In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience. Please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to

TRANSCRIPTS are REQUIRED if there is a stated education requirement for the series OR if you are substituting education for experience. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.

ENGINEERS: If you are applying to an engineering position and are qualifying based on possessing a current Professional Engineer (PE) license, or passing the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, please provide a copy of PE license or written documented proof of passing the EIT.

CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL APPLICANTS: Submit SF-50 documentation proving your highest competitive grade, federal eligibility, and 52-week time-in-grade requirement. To pass HR validation, it’s recommended to combine and upload these into a single PDF:

• Start Date: The SF-50 showing when you were originally appointed or promoted to the qualifying grade.
• End Date: An SF-50 dated at least 52 weeks later (e.g., a Within-Grade Increase, promotion, or subsequent action) to prove a sequential 52-week period.

Warning on Incomplete Documentation: Do not submit an award or current-year annual pay adjustment SF-50 by itself. These do not prove your original entry date or grade. If your documents fail to conclusively prove a full 52-week history, you will be rated Ineligible.

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy and provide all of the following documents:

• your most recent performance appraisal,
• the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
• your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Special Attention: To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents by the closing date of the announcement.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.